Surgical techniques utilizing minimally invasive surgery (or “MIS”) are being rapidly adapted to replace current traditional “open” surgical procedures. “Open” procedures typically require larger skin incisions that may cause significant collateral damage to uninvolved anatomic structures. To allow for direct surgical visualization, intervening soft tissue is cut and potentially excised (tendons, ligaments, facet capsules and muscle).
To the contrary, minimally invasive techniques, which may also be referred to as “percutaneous,” involve significantly smaller incisions and are less traumatic to the patient anatomy. Soft tissues are preserved with minimal collateral damage to the uninvolved anatomy. Typical benefits of MIS may include decreased blood loss, decreased postoperative pain, smaller scar formation, decreased cost, and a faster rehabilitation for the patient, as compared to “open” or conventional surgical techniques.
Minimally invasive surgery techniques are currently being adapted to a variety of surgical procedures. For example, minimally invasive techniques in the form of laparoscopic procedures, such as a laparoscopic colectomy for carcinoma of the colon, have been developed. More recently, surgeons have utilized MIS in the setting of spinal surgery. Current MIS techniques, however, are unable to accurately and consistently detect and avoid key anatomical features, such as neural elements potentially resulting in profound neurological sequelae.